Student Health is Crucial for Academic Success

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Illustration by Alyssa Long | Staff Illustrator

Sarah Renard

Nothing is more important for a student than being healthy. When a student is healthy, they can attend all of their lectures and labs and they can succeed in their classes. With college being an environment that makes illness almost inevitable — with  tons of people, stressful environments, and never enough sleep — keeping up with one’s health is important for students at UCSB who want to thrive in their academic and social lives.

Here at UCSB, Student Health offers a variety of services designed to help students with any health-related issue, ranging optometry to nutrition and everything in between.

You can get whatever health services you need with only a few exceptions. For example, there is no audiology department for Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. However, you can find an audiologist at Costco on Storke and Hollister, as well as at a health center such as Kaiser, or at the local hearing center, Hearing Services of Santa Barbara.

The nutrition department, located in the Granada section of Student Health, is the place I visit most as a student struggling with a protein deficiency. I meet with a specialist who gives me a high protein meal plan to follow.  

I follow up with her every two weeks to check in and see how I am progressing. The nutrition department is an extremely helpful tool that helps me navigate my deficiency and prioritize my health along with my academics.

Because of this service, I have learned how to make high protein meals in a matter of 15 to 30 minutes. Without a balanced protein diet, my symptoms could get out of control. But because I am regularly seeing a nutritional specialist, I am able to keep up my health and strength.

The receptionists in the nutrition department are extremely friendly and are willing to help you out with whatever forms you need to fill out before your appointment. My specialist is friendly and thorough in her appointments and treatments. She set me up with a meal plan that allows me to keep my symptoms at bay and maintain healthy habits on a daily basis. Overall, I highly recommend checking out Student Health if you need help with meal planning or nutritional advice.

As time goes on, it is important that a student’s health is checked regularly. The best way to do so is by setting up an appointment with whatever department fits your health needs at the moment and making a visit to Student Health.

It is easy to get started and set up an appointment, which can be done  through a phone call or through the Student Health Portal online. Healthy bodies as well as healthy minds should be students’ priority. Let’s be a campus that makes health a top priority, so that we can thrive in both our academic and our social lives.